1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information setting device used to display various information in a camera during photography and, more particularly, to the setting of a camera shutter speed after a flash device has been mounted and to a display device indicating when the shutter speed is set to a speed that may be affected by camera shake.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional camera can set a variety of information during use, such as shutter speed, aperture value, and the like. Other information which may be set includes an exposure mode setting, a continuous or noncontinuous photography setting, a continuous or single autofocus drive setting, an exposure correction value and film sensitivity. If a flash device is mounted, information for flash or normal photography can be set.
One particular example of an information setting device in a camera is a shutter speed setting device. In such a shutter speed setting device, the shutter speed is automatically set according to the photometric output from a photometric circuit. Alternatively, a photographer may manually set the shutter speed by way of a manual operation according to the photographer's judgment and preferences.
However, when a flash device is mounted for flash photography, or when normal photography is desired and a flash device is mounted on the camera, the aforementioned shutter speed setting device is fixed to a synchronous speed. The synchronous speed corresponds to the speed of the flash device. Thus, in the prior art shutter speed device, when a flash device is mounted, the shutter speed is automatically limited by the synchronous speed - - - even though the shutter speed may be manually set to a higher speed than the synchronous speed.
The above-mentioned prior art shutter speed setting device presents a number of disadvantages which cannot be easily avoided. For instance, once the shutter speed is set the flash device is removed, and the power supply is turned off, the shutter speed becomes set to the synchronous speed. If, for example, the shutter speed is set to 1/1000 before a flash device is used, and subsequently a flash device requiring a corresponding shutter speed of 1/250 is used, the shutter speed is temporarily changed to 1/250. Subsequently, if an operator wishes to take a photograph without the use of the flash device, the shutter speed will remain set at 1/250. The shutter speed is not automatically reset to the desired speed of 1/1000.
Practically speaking, a photographer encounters the problem that when a flash device becomes necessary due to photographic environmental conditions, and even though the flash device is operated according to the photographer's wishes, the shutter speed becomes unnecessarily set to an undesirable setting for subsequent photographs.
Another problem and source of confusion for the photographer is the display associated with the shutter speed. There are many different display devices for cameras known in the art. A first type of display device is an external monitor display which is mounted on the top surface or back surface of a camera body. A second type of display device is an internal display within the viewfinder. The internal display device is arranged within the visual field frame of the viewfinder into which the photographer looks when photographing. In many cases, both the internal display device and the external display device are used simultaneously.
The display device, be it either internal or external, may display varying types of information such as exposure information of the exposure mode, shutter speed accompanying the photometry or manual setting, aperture value, exposure correction quantity setting, film sensitivity information, film frame number information, or, if a flash device is mounted, information indicating flash or normal photography.
In the above-mentioned types of display devices, it is also possible to display various warnings during photography with the camera. One such example of a warning display is a camera shake warning which warns the photographer that the shutter speed has reached the camera shake limit for image blur-free photography. In prior art devices, when the shutter speed is changed such that there is a risk of image blur due to camera shake, a shutter speed display in the display device or a dedicated warning display is caused to blink. This type of camera shake warning display is known to be present in either the external monitor display or the viewfinder display, as generally known from the art.
The photographer typically encounters various problems when making preparations for photography. In this regard, the photographer must perform various setting operations and may be required to perform these setting operations in a relatively dark area. In some cases, the shutter speed display is indicated by a display within the viewfinder and an external monitor display. Thus, when a camera shake warning is indicated, both displays blink in various places. This presents a source of confusion for the photographer.
The photographer may encounter a number of various displays and may become concerned over the number of blinking displays, thus providing a hinderance and distraction from other setting operations. For example, during preparation, the photographer may be required to mount a flash device, wherein the shutter speed is set in connection with the flash photography, thereby executing flash photography in accordance with this limited shutter speed. Further, during flash photography, the shutter speed display in either of the above-mentioned internal or external displays may be caused to blink, thus presenting added confusion to the photographer. Moreover, this type of display is identical to the above-mentioned warning display such that it can be incomprehensible for the photographer to discriminate between the various warnings. Accordingly, there is a need to adopt a camera shake warning display which is simple and does not present confusion to the photographer.